Month: June 2026

The United States presses the fear button with Claude Mythos and Fable 5. It is a blackout with a clear beneficiary: China

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The United States has turned off the tap most powerful, expensive and advanced AI model ever released by Anthropic, but it has done so in a disconcerting move and with small print. Yesterday, June 12, the White House ordered Anthropic to immediately shut down Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for anyone who is not a US citizen. The order arrived without giving too many explanations about its duration or technical justification, according to Anthropic’s public statement. This government intervention marks a before and after in the modern technology sector: they are not restricting the sale of chips (a common practice), but vetoing access to general access software as a matter of national cybersecurity. What’s happening with Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The US government has issued an export control directive suspending all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for anyone who does not have US citizenship, whether inside or outside the United States. This includes non-U.S. Anthropic personnel. In order to adhere to the directive that came into effect immediately, the company led by Dario Amodei has had to deactivate both models for everyone. At the time of publishing this article, the notice appears when trying to access it. According to Anthropic, the government believes it has discovered a way to jailbreak the model. The company does not agree: after reviewing the demo of this technique to deceive the model, it concludes that the vulnerabilities found are minor, were already located and applicable to other models on the market and can be identified without the need for any circumvention technique. What you see right now if you enter Claude Why is it important. Because Mythos It is a specifically designed model for cybersecurity and its blackout affects both commercial users and those entities in charge of active defense management that are using it. With this measure, Washington turns its cutting-edge AI software into a national security asset. It is worth remembering that Anthropic is already on the blacklist of the Pentagon, so he considers it too dangerous for his Government to use. It is also now too dangerous for foreigners to use. Besides, as Anthropic points outsets a dangerous precedent: if the criterion for withdrawing a model is that someone finds a vulnerability, in practice none will be able to be launched because the company that releases software without a single failure raises its hand. That is to say, if the White House makes this exceptional movement the norm, it will be a shot in the foot to develop cutting-edge models: slower launches due to this “impossible” debugging process, personnel decimated by not being able to count on foreign specialists and if they cannot be marketed abroad there will be less income. Context. This order is the latest chapter in a soap opera of disagreements between Washington and Anthropic that dates back to the beginning of the year. In March, the Pentagon considered that the company was a “supply chain risk.” In its statement, Anthropic has verified that that level of capacity that the government identified as dangerous in Fable 5 is already available in other models on the market, including the GPT-5.5 by OpenAIearlier and more widespread than Mythos. However, that version of ChatGPT has not suffered any suspension. The asymmetry of treatment between OpenAI and Anthropic is evident. The geopolitical context is also important: the United States and China are immersed in a technological race unprecedented in recent decades and each power is playing its weapons, from tariffs to critical materials like rare earths to vetoes on chip sales, EDA software or the Export Control Reform Act 2018, where new technological categories fit, such as the most advanced AI models. Of course, for the Asian giant, every obstacle has worked as a kind of catalyst to advance faster and be increasingly independent of outside technologies. In detail. The order’s enforcement mechanism is supported by the “export control directive” managed by the Department of Commerce. In practice, it means that accessing Fable 5 or Mythos 5 as a foreign citizen (even if you are in the United States) is grounds for infringement. Anthropic tried to anticipate the problem with thousands of hours of testing with the US government, shared it with 40 organizations that manage critical infrastructure and then, with another 150 entities more precisely so that they could find and thus be able to correct vulnerabilities before a third party with malicious interests did so later. It hasn’t been enough. Because Mythos It is a specifically designed model for cybersecurity. Before its public deployment, Anthropic shared it with organizations that manage critical infrastructure precisely so that they could find and thus be able to correct vulnerabilities before a third party with malicious interests did so. Its blackout affects both commercial users and those entities in charge of active defense management. Yes, but. For now, Anthropic complies with the order, but makes it clear that it does not agree and that it is working to resolve it: “We believe this is a misunderstanding and we are working to restore access as soon as possible.” The company behind Claude says it supports the government in blocking really dangerous technologies, but that this process has to be transparent, fair and based on real technical facts. In short, he has not said the last word. On the other hand, the million-dollar question is whether the US government can apply the export control law, initially designed for chips, satellites or critical and specific software, on an AI model available on the internet and in general use. In fact, this regulatory movement puts on the table the importance of having a clear law that defines when, how and with what guarantees a government (in this case, the United States) can intervene. In Xataka | Spain does not want to wait for Mythos to wreak havoc on its companies: that is why it is going to ask for “early access” to Anthropic In Xataka | Claude Fable 5 is the most powerful public … Read more

The Japanese “johatsu”, when life is so unbearable that you erase your trace from the Earth

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When we Westerners observe the Japanese people, their habits and cultural solutions that clash with our way of life, we usually come up with an explanation: shame. If Christianity has been based on the management of guilt, the East draws on shame and honor as a motor of action. The literature has made us believe that the code bushido or “path of the hero” that marked the life of the samurai in the 11th to 14th centuries is found buried in many of the behaviors which, seen from thousands of kilometers and 700 years later, seem amazing to us. We have previously talked about karoshithat involuntary suicide of many of its workers due to work pressure out of a feeling of duty towards the company and society. We also know their tendency towards seclusion and detachment, as practiced by otaku or the hikikomoris. Today it is the turn of the johatsu (蒸発), or “evaporated people”, as the Government describes them. It is a solution that many of us have thought about applying at some point, and have even dared to explore certain works popular. Become a johatsu is to lose your identity. Your family, your job, your name. All. You become a ghost for the State, all your trace is erased and you renounce your previous life to embrace a new and marginal one as you can no longer endure the pressure that presses you. According to estimates, 100,000 Japanese a year have become johatsu in the last 40 years. How to collect a report from the Japanese policethe “faded” became a social problem starting in the 70s that had to be regulated. Some cases had already been known since after the Second World War, and following a famous event in the 60s that found a film adaptation in 1967 and a ballad performed by Ken Yabukithe term, the idea, became popular. And what pressure leads these people to leave everything? According to the statistics and testimonies collected, a good part of them succumb to work overwhelm or the shame of having been fired, something that they are unable to communicate to their loved ones. Also in many cases they are members of families who have contracted big debtseither due to gambling addiction or ruinous businesses. There are people who mysteriously, and without any justification, decide to sacrifice themselves socially. An important part of the disappearances, approximately one in five cases, has to do with gender violence: since the State was not committed (nor does he commit) to fight against these abuses (until 2001 the law dictated that the most that could be done was ask husbands to be more respectful with their wives) many women began to leave their families to live in poverty. Because that is the new life that many of its protagonists must face. The neighborhood of Kamagasaki Osaka and San’ya of the outskirts of Japan no longer appear on maps. In fact, their nomenclaturesand, if you ask for their address, many Japanese pretend to be Swedes. It’s not that they don’t know what you’re talking about, but it is an unpleasant reality that is better not to face. Men and women who disappear because of the shame they carry on their shoulders. Families who, in turn, and when they suspect that the member who has disappeared has done so of his own free will, do not report it to the authorities because they feel the same fear of being criticized by society. This is confirmed when it is verified that according to official Government statistics, only 2,000 people disappear a year without leaving a trace or without returning after a few months of his journey. According to the Japan Missing Persons Search Support Association, these figures are strongly under-representative of reality, closer to those 100,000 disappearances annuals that we pointed out at the beginning. Those close to a johatsu They do not usually warn the authorities. But, if they have sufficient funds and a genuine interest in regaining contact with the person, they do request the services of companies or private detectives. Since Japanese laws strongly guarantee the privacy of citizens (they require keeping someone’s whereabouts secret even in front of their families unless criminal complaint), it is easier to go to these agents. In practice, many spouses, children, siblings or parents let it be. They do not want to hear from the person who has left their life again. So, to the particularity of that administrative silence that characterizes Japan, is added that structure that protects the “ghosts“. The existence of these neighborhoods allows them to find a way to survive. “There, the Johatsu They live in tiny hotel rooms, often without Internet or private bathrooms,” as Léna Mauger, journalist and writer for a book focused on the lives of these people. Back in the years of the Japanese miracle, between the 60s and 80s, San’ya was the home of thousands of day laborers in industrial and mechanical jobs. The blue-collar workers who were eclipsed in terms of State recognition by their white-collar compatriots. They were informal, masculinized jobs, without great pay but that in most cases allowed these citizens to survive and sometimes, if the person affected was skilled, save a little money with which to return to society. As masculinized communities that they were, alcoholism, gambling and homelessness began to proliferate. Many never managed to overcome their addictions and harmful behaviors. The mafias began to take sides, owing their people. Today some NGOs enter the district daily to distribute food. Many residents live so precariously that they were considered dead in life. The “ghost” life that is about to fade away As technology advances, the jobs that support its population become scarcer. Added to this are two other problems: for tax purposes, and so that the debts incurred do not become a burden, since 2015 the country has been starting to track more harshly to its members. As real estate pressure increases, less well-regarded neighborhoods begin to gentrify. It is possible … Read more

invest a fortune and leave NVIDIA with almost no margin

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There is little doubt that the artificial intelligence race today has two major protagonists: the United States and China. They are not the only countries that are moving forward, but they are the two that are setting the pace, each with their own tools and with a very different idea of ​​how to sustain progress. As AI begins to become economic infrastructure, the question changes. It’s no longer just a question of who has the best models, but of who can build the material base to power them, deploy them, and take them everywhere. First idea. Large-scale state financing. According to BloombergChina is preparing a plan to allocate around 2 trillion yuan, about $295 billion, over the next five years to build AI data centers across the country. The information points to a deployment promoted by Beijing to strengthen its national artificial intelligence sector. We are not yet talking about a closed plan: the media points out that the project is still in an early phase of discussion and that the details may change. A network, not just more data centers. The key to the plan would not only be in building new facilities, but in connecting them under a national architecture. Bloomberg talks about a network of interconnected computing hubs that would allow resources currently dispersed between regions to be pooled and give companies and organizations broader access to high-performance capacity. The general objective would be for these facilities, now fragmented, to function as a more cohesive system by 2028. The State as architect. At the center of the design are organizations such as the National Development and Reform Commission, one of China’s great economic planning arms. On the other hand, state companies such as China Mobile and China Telecom would assume a good part of the operation of these centers and the connectivity between them. It is an important detail because it helps understand Beijing’s approach: it seeks to position itself as a coordinator, according to the information released by the American media. Second idea. The other big leg of the plan is who would supply the technology. Bloomberg notes that the idea is to turn to local suppliers, including Huawei, for at least 80% of the hardware and software, including AI chips. That threshold does not amount to an explicit ban on NVIDIA or AMD, but it would leave them with very little room to participate in the rollout. It is precisely there where investment also becomes a tool to reduce foreign technological dependence. It is not an isolated movement. Direction fits with steps that Beijing had already been giving to reduce dependence on foreign chips in private and public infrastructure. Without going any further, the market share of the firm led by Jensen Huang has plummeted in recent months, and there is little reason to think that he might believe again anytime soon. The background signal. It should be noted that the plan advanced by Bloomberg is not officially confirmed, but it shows where Beijing wants to move if it finally goes ahead. China would not only be preparing a huge investment in data centers: it would be trying to make this deployment work as a national network, largely powered by local technology. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | We already know how much water Amazon consumes in its data centers. We have good and bad news

the explanation points to a cheap Iranian drone

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If we stage a AH-64 Apache of about 25 million dollars and, on the other side, an Iranian drone Shahid of about $35,000, the answer seems written before starting. One is an attack helicopter designed to operate in hostile scenarios; the other, a low-cost ammunition associated with long-range attacks. But the current war is leaving less and less room for these inherited intuitions. What we have seen near Oman points just in that direction. The incident. According to the United States Central Commandthe AH-64 Apache went down on June 8 near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters. Its two crew members were rescued by US forces in about two hours and are stable, although the cause was still under investigation in the official communication. The trickiest part comes next: The New York Timesciting US officials, attribute the crash to the impact of an Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone. The great unknown. This distinction is important because not even the version that points to the Shahed completely closes the sequence. Military investigators were trying to determine whether the Iranian drone hit the Apache deliberately or if it all happened as a reckless accident in congested airspace off the Omani coast. In other words: the result is already extraordinary, but the intention remains under examination. Why is it surprising?. Shahed’s basic models are not typically intended to pursue moving targets such as a helicopter. Mark Canciansenior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies cited by the aforementioned newspaper, explained that these versions depend on GPS guidance and pre-programmed coordinates to attack stationary targets at long distances. If the impact is confirmed in these terms, we would not be facing a routine case, but rather an episode that forces us to look closely at the trajectory of the drone, the environment and the possible existence of modified variants. A more present threat. Loitering munitions and drones are changing the way we operate in the air, also for platforms that were born in another technological era. The US Army reflects this in its own exercises: last year it presented the AH-64E Apachev as an adaptable solution to the UAS threat after a live fire demonstration. That context helps to understand why the incident near Oman is not just a striking anecdote, but part of a much broader concern. In detail. In exercises carried out by the US Armythe AH-64E appears using electro-optical, infrared and radar sensors, in addition to missiles, guided rockets and the 30 mm cannon to confront drones. The other plane is the survival of the aircraft itself: BAE describes the AN/AAR-57 as a warning system for US and allied fixed and rotary wing aircraft against infrared missiles and hostile fire, compatible with chaff, flares, radio frequency decoys and DIRCM/ATIRCM systems. But there is no invulnerability. This list of capabilities should not be confused with an absolute guarantee against any scenario. It is one thing to detect, track and destroy drones in controlled exercises, and another to operate in a real environment where there may be unexpected trajectories or just seconds to react. The US Army itself left a relevant nuance in March 2026: Many pilots had not conducted air-to-air combat with the Apache, so they were still developing tactics, techniques and procedures for that mission profile. The equation has changed. The episode does not demonstrate that a cheap drone can always prevail over a much more sophisticated platform, nor that the Apache is vulnerable by definition. What it does leave behind is an idea that is difficult for any modern military to ignore: a low-cost threat can disrupt an operation, elevate risk, and expose even highly advanced systems if conditions align. That is one of the lessons that is pushing armies to adapt: ​​the price of a weapon is no longer enough to anticipate its impact. Images | Richard Kim/2nd Combat Aviation Brigade In Xataka | Silently, Russia has deployed a sophisticated network of satellites with one mission: to leave all of Europe without GPS

We still don’t know how to cure blindness. So we’re going into space to try to solve it once and for all.

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We often wonder what space research is for. Is it worth investing huge amounts of money in exploring beyond our planet? Depending on who we talk to, they may give us a different answer, but if there is one thing that is clear, it is that part of the research that is done in space generates a return on Earth. For example, certain research conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) may help treat certain types of blindness on our planet. This research has been carried out over the last 10 years by the company LambdaVisionin collaboration with the commercial service provider of the ISS National Laboratory Tango Space. Basically, this company is dedicated to manufacturing artificial retinas to help restore vision to people with age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. The manufacture of artificial retinas is not new. It is something that has been investigated on Earth for some time, but there are some handicaps in the process that are resolved quite well in space. All advantages. In the last 9 years have been carried out 10 research missions to the ISS aimed at perfecting the development of artificial retinas in microgravity. In this time, they have managed to improve uniformity, optical performance and reproducibility. In addition, less material is needed, which is not only advantageous in economic terms. It also improves the biocompatibility of the final product. A microbial solution. Both age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa cause vision problems due to loss of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Under normal conditions, these cells are responsible for capturing the light that reaches the eye and converting it into electrical signals that are sent through the optic nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted and transformed into what we see. If they are damaged, signals are not sent correctly and vision is obscured or impeded. For this reason, research has been carried out for some time with bacteriorhodopsin, a protein used by some extremist bacteria to obtain energy from light. In a way, it is similar to what happens in the retina. Light is transformed into energy, which can be used to send signals to the brain. Therefore, artificial retinas can be made using this protein. Layers and more layers. Briefly, artificial retinas are made up of hundreds of layers of bacteriorhodopsin, arranged on top of each other. Although in reality the process is somewhat more complex. Typically, a substrate is used that is placed in a beaker in which bacteriorhodopsin, a polycationic polymer that helps assemble the layers on the substrate, and a washing solution are deposited. Thus, the layers that give rise to the definitive retina are arranged. The problem of gravity. Just as when you put sugar in coffee it goes to the bottom of the cup if we don’t stir it constantly, the same thing happens in the beaker. The denser molecules sink to the bottom. On the other hand, precisely because of this difference in densities, convection currents are created that cause an uneven coating. In short, the layers do not remain the same. This could affect vision, as the light is not distributed equally and the resulting signals are not uniform. Images would be generated, but they would be distorted. To prevent this from happening, the area in which the layers are most homogeneous is cut and the rest is discarded. This represents a huge waste of material and, at the same time, great difficulty in scaling the process so that it is profitable to carry it out in large quantities. CubeLab Content The solution is in space. All problems that lead to heterogeneous layer distribution are due to gravity. If we do not have that downward attraction, the sugar would not settle to the bottom of the cup. For this reason, LambdaVision partnered 4 years ago with Space Tango to use its CubeLab, a compact experimental module in which experiments can be carried out in an automated manner. To manufacture artificial retinas, instead of doing the substrate and beaker procedure, a bag with liquid and a chamber with the substrate are used, so that the solution is pumped into the chamber alternately. All advantages. In addition to the advantages that we have already seenranging from reproducibility to increased optical performance, this process has more benefits. To begin with, it is carried out automatically. Once it is launched, it does not require the intervention of any astronaut. In fact, if there is a problem, the process stops and a notice is sent to Earth, from where solutions can be searched and executed remotely. On the other hand, all the material and machinery are very compacted. The payload involved within the ISS is minimal, so many retinas can be obtained with a minimal footprint. And now what? By the end of this year, LambdaVision wants to launch a new mission, in which it is expected to look for ways to increase production volume and optimize processes. Thus, if all goes well, they will be able to begin preclinical trials by the end of 2027 or beginning of 2028. There is still a long way to go before these artificial retinas can be used to treat blindnessbut the investigation is going from strength to strength. Of course, there is research in space that is most useful here on Earth. Image |Magnific | Tango Space In Xataka | Hundreds of blind people received bionic implants to restore their sight. Now they are out of support

León wants to start a biomass macroplant to heat 28,000 homes. The neighbors are afraid of something: the wind

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“Mayor! Where are you?” The cry echoed this Wednesday in the central Plaza de San Marcelo. According to local chronicleshundreds of people responded to the call of the Barrio de la Lastra Neighborhood Association to try to stop the construction of the gigantic biomass plant planned in the south of the city. The point is that this is not an isolated march: the residents of La Lastra and Puente Castro have joined forces in a joint mobilization that reflects the fatigue of the southern neighborhoods in the face of an imminent environmental impact. But beyond the noise of the banners, there is a very specific fear. As Ruth Sanz explainsneighborhood spokesperson for La Lastra, the big hidden problem will come “when the wind changes direction.” The citizen warning is blunt: if the plant comes into operation, not only will the smell reach other neighborhoods in the capital, but the air will carry harmful substances. For this reason, with the motto of “our health is not for sale”, the neighbors demand that the excavators be stopped. The beginning of the indignation. To understand this social outbreak you have to look at the offices. As detailed in the specialized magazine Rethemethe project promoted by the Junta de Castilla y León and the City Council aims to create a “Sustainable Heat Network”. Through Somacyl, the regional administration seeks to build a thermal power plant that supplies heating and hot water to more than 28,000 homes and 150 buildings in the capital. However, the outrage also has a political component. As emphasized by Herald of Leonresidents directly accuse the socialist mayor, José Antonio Diez, of serious inconsistency: they remember that, when he was in the opposition, he led protests against a similar biomass plant in Cantamilanos, and now allows an installation that is seven times larger. Furthermore, the neighborhood anger lies in how it has been created. As revealed elDiario.esthe Board has processed this immense 22-hectare complex – located at the foot of the city, next to the municipal cemetery and the Torío and Bernesga rivers – under the controversial figure of ‘Regional Project’. This administrative movement serves, as this medium explains, to “shield” the complex, unify contracts through urgency, accelerate expropriations and avoid local urban planning obstacles. Green energy or environmental risk? Green energy or environmental risk? The project stages a head-on clash of realities. In the official discourse, it is the definitive ecological initiative since the administrations They defend that the infrastructure It is key to decarbonization. They promise that it will allow more than 1,200 fossil fuel boilers to be progressively turned off, will prevent the emission of 35,000 tons of CO₂ annually and will allow neighboring communities to save between 20% and 30% on their bills. The dark side of this “green promise” is provided by environmental defenders. As argued Ecologists in Action in their allegationsinstallation of these dimensions near inhabited areas is environmentally unsustainable. The entity warns that combustion at an industrial level will cause highly dangerous emissions, releasing “benzopyrene, heavy metals and particles” into the air. Furthermore, environmentalists throw down the argument of resource sustainability. The complex will swallow up to 128,000 tons of forest chips annually – a volume that threatens to overexploit the forests – and will consume a whopping 35,000 cubic meters of water from the urban network, without the City Council having issued technical reports that guarantee that this will not affect the population’s supply. Pharaonic figures and legal mud. The size of the project is difficult to assimilate without looking at the pure data. According to the technical data provided by Leon News, The horizon of southern Leon will be modified by the installation of four enormous chimneys 35 meters high (a level equivalent to an eleven-story residential block). At a logistical level, the activity of the furnaces will generate 4,480 tons of ash, slag and dust each year, and will cause an incessant daily movement of up to 20 heavy trucks through the neighborhood. With such an impact on the horizon, the battle is no longer only in the street, but in the courts. As reported Herald of Leonthe project is deeply judicialized. Neighbors and environmentalists are waiting for the Court to resolve a contentious-administrative appeal filed against the municipal licenses granted for the pipeline network. The opacity of the process has fanned the flame of suspicion. The neighborhood spokesperson denounced in the Plaza de San Marcelo that the works began “without the relevant licenses,” calling the operation a “business of two.” The indignation and distrust reach such a point that the neighbors have come to predict that in the future this case will “blow through the air” just as the well-known ‘Wind Plot’ did, demonstrating that everything responds to “the interests of certain people and not to a common good. León’s countdown. While the judges deliberate and the mobilizations do not stop, the clock is ticking. An unappealable countdown has begun: there is a legal limit of five years for the infrastructure to take shape or, on the contrary, the project to decline definitively. The city of León thus appears at a historical crossroads. On one side of the balance, the institutional dream of establishing itself as a pioneering city in Europe in energy transition and thermal independence. On the other, the terror of thousands of families who see an industrial monster installed at the door of their homes. In the coming years the outcome will be decided; Meanwhile, the southern neighborhoods will continue taking to the streets, looking askance at the sky and hoping that justice will act before the wind changes. Image | Wikieditorarigurosa and La Lastra Neighborhood Association Xataka | Europe’s secret weapon to win the electric battery war is not in the mines: it is in the garbage

The Free Plan for 4.99 euros looks better and better (and can be shared)

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Throughout the year, we have talked to you about Movistar Plus when, for example, it has broadcast an important football match live, like the last Classic. It is true that LaLiga and the Champions League have already ended, but new releases continue to arrive on this platform that are worth it. In fact, between today and tomorrow they arrive two films that were nominated for the last Oscars. The best thing is that you can see them (and many other things) in the Free Plan that costs only 4.99 euros per month. Monthly subscription to Movistar Plus The price could vary. We earn commission from these links You can download whatever you want and watch it offline This Free Plan is identical to the one that Movistar Plus was offering and, beyond the price, there is only one difference between the two: the one that costs 4.99 euros per month does not include sports. This means that we have access to a huge catalog of movies, series and documentaries for very little, all taking into account that we can subscribe, whatever operator we are and without permanence. And being able to share the account with a friend or family member. Now, let’s talk about these new releases. The first movie to reach this platform is ‘F1: The Movie‘, starring Brad Pitt and winner of an Oscar award. This one will land today, June 12, and for the other we won’t have to wait too long: it’s about ‘The Secret Agent‘, which will arrive just tomorrow, Saturday. These two movies join a catalog where there are already several Oscar winnersas ‘The Sinners‘ either ‘Weapons‘. In addition, we also have the presence of films that triumphed at the Goya awards, such as ‘Sirat’ or ‘Los Domingos’. All rounded off by many original series such as the new ‘Many people have to die’ or documentaries with the presence of many true crime by Carles Porta. Finally, a couple of things to keep in mind. The first is that this Movistar Plus Free Plan also allows download what we want and watch it offline on a tablet or mobile phone, for example. This is great if you plan to travel this summer by plane or train, since it will make your trip more enjoyable. The other is that new releases will continue to arrive this June, such as ‘One battle after another‘ Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Espinof, Movistar Plus In Xataka | Movistar Plus activates its Free Plan with complete programs and a lot of content, regardless of which operator you are In Xataka | Less than five euros per month and without permanence: this is the new Movistar Plus plan that you can even share with a friend

pay them extra to return to the office

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One of the advantages offered work in Administration public was that, if the position allowed it, the teleworking option was enabled. However, that is about to change for all those officials who depend on the Generalitat of Catalonia. The Government does not prohibit teleworking, but it has put some measures on the negotiating table to discourage civil servants from requesting it. To achieve this, he is even willing to pay them a salary supplement between 90 and 200 euros for those who give up remote work. The battle began a year and a half ago. In January 2025, the Government eliminated teleworking for his senior officials. The measure affected about 500 officials directly: general directors, general secretaries and similar positions. The Ministry of the Presidency, led by Albert Dalmau, argument that such positions require “effective and constant presence” to ensure effective supervision. The reaction from officials It didn’t take long to wait. More than 200 senior officials signed a manifesto in which they described the measure as a “19th century model.” That episode was only the first step of something broader. Now this measure is extended to the rest of the workforce of around 14,900 Catalan administration officials who currently have permission to telework. What exactly does the Government propose?. The Generalitat has put on the table the so-called “immediate operational assistance complement.” This is a supplement of between 90 and 200 euros per month that will be incorporated as a salary extra for those who voluntarily give up the teleworking days recognized in their position. The Catalan administration points out that the decision to take advantage of this supplement is completely voluntary and not an obligation. But monthly payroll changes depending on what you choose. The exact details about the final amount, who will be able to collect it and whether the officials whose teleworking was revoked would also receive it, are points that are still are being negotiated at the Public Service Board. The price of teleworking. The next meeting of the Public Service Board is scheduled for July 1. And everything indicates that the agreement, if it arrives, would not come into force before January 2027. In any case, with this measure a price has been put on teleworking in public administration. This represents an important change in the regulations that regulate remote work in the civil service since, until now, the general rule in the Spanish public service says that teleworking is neutral from an economic point of view: they neither pay you more for doing it nor do they deduct anything for not doing it, as stated in the article 47 bis 3 of the Basic Statute of Public Employees: “Personnel who provide their services through teleworking will have the same duties and rights.” However, with this complement, the Generalitat would give economic value to presence and opting for the office represents a salary improvement that those who opt for teleworking do not have, maintaining the same obligations. Moncloa pushes the opposite. What makes the Catalan bet more striking is that it goes against the current of the central Administration’s bet, which precisely bets for more teleworking. According to data from the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service published by Digital Economy52.4% of employees of the General State Administration work remotely at least once a week, with more than 93,600 officials in hybrid mode. This percentage comes in full implementation of the day of 35 hours per week for civil servants. Catalonia is also negotiating the reduction of the working day to 35 hours, starting from the current 37.5. But the Government has linked this reduction in hours to the reduction in teleworking. The unions, divided. The measure has not been well received by the different union platforms. The IAC-CATAC, the center with the most delegates, is positioned “radically against.” UGT and CCOO, despite remaining against the measure, are more open to negotiating the conditions. From CCOO they assured that “we understand that this supplement should apply to everyone who works in person all day” and not only to those who expressly renounce teleworking, to avoid a remuneration offence. In Xataka | Companies have put an end to teleworking, but employees are making a move: the key is schedule flexibility Image | Pexels (Miguel Saddi Vitorino), Unsplash (Major Tom Agency)

“Who the hell thought that a movie could be shot here?”

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When the team ‘The Odyssey‘ arrived at the Universal studios in Los Angeles after months of filming in Morocco, Greece, Iceland and Scotland, someone said: “How difficult is it going to be to film in a studio now?” Shortly afterward they were enduring Nolan putting some jet engines very close to them. It’s the Nolan method. And with ‘The Odyssey’ the method has included filming in the most inhospitable places. Who the hell is it going to be? Matt Damon, who plays Ulysses in this adaptation whose premiere will be next July 17, sums up this spirit with the question that was repeated every time they arrived at a new location: “Who the hell thought that a movie could be shot here?” The answer, obviously, was always the same person. It always occurs to him. I hate sets. Nolan seems to choose impossible locations precisely because they are impossible. According to your own philosophy A director’s job is to look for “magical moments in real places: a real sunset, a real castle.” For example: Nolan wanted to film in the Castello di Santa Caterina, in Sicily, as the setting for Ithaca. To reach the top you had to climb 275 meters along a path that was too narrow for the technical team. The solution was, after ruling out building an alternative road on the back slope, to install a scaffolding platform on the slope capable of supporting 200 people. Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland, of course, had to make the climb every day in “Roman clothing.” Any given Tuesday on a Nolan shoot. Ninety-one days, six countries, 610 kilometers of film. The Odyssey was filmed between February and August 2025 in six countries: Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland and the United States. The total footage captured on 70mm IMAX film exceeds 610 kilometers and production wrapped nine days ahead of schedule. Despite this, the tour of different countries was, according to Matt Damon, an eternal unfulfilled promise: “Well, it will be easier in Iceland,” they said to each other. And then it rained heavily and it was bitterly cold. When they arrived in Los Angeles, the only environment they expected to be controlled, good old studio Hollywood, Nolan stuck some jet engines in their faces to simulate a storm. Tied to a boat. One of Matt Damon’s most memorable sequences is the one in which he was tied to a real mast, on a real ship, in the open sea. According to him, these types of challenges did not make him nervous, but rather made it easier for him to prepare: “Knowing that it’s going to be like this is a real gift for an actor because you already know how to prepare. It’s not about arriving on set and being told: ‘Oh, to shoot the scene we’re going to tie you to a mast.’” Bye bye. All the interviews that Matt Damon has been giving for months to talk about ‘The Odyssey’ have a nostalgic tone. He told GQ that this type of production “is disappearing” and that he was aware of having filmed something that would possibly never be repeated, at least for him, and that that made it “something finite, like a gift.” The counterpoint is that of Nolan himself, who claims that he has been hearing the same thing since ‘Inception’ in 2010, when he was told that filming in seven countries was impossible. “I thought we’d find a way to make it happen,” he says. And until now.

A beach in Sardinia has banned umbrellas for people between 10 and 65 years old. The reason is simple: fire

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Summer yes, summer too, dermatologists they insist on the importance of protecting ourselves from the sun’s rays with creams, caps and umbrellas. In Molentis Pointone of the beaches most popular of Sardinia, the bathers they will have to conform however with the first two tools. If they want to plant an umbrella in the sand they will have to meet a series of requirements, beyond paying the 10 euros it costs to access the cove: the parasols will only be available to families with children or people who have already turned 65 years old. The rest have to burn. What has happened? Villasimìus is a commune of Cagliari, in the Italian region of Sardinia, where slightly less than 4,000 people. Despite this, it has been making headlines for days in the media throughout Italy and the rest of Europe, including headlines within the scope of Guardian, cnn either The Telegraph. The reason is not so much the spectacular nature of its beaches and its attractiveness at the gates of summer (which too), but rather the effects of that pull: faced with the avalanche of visitors, the local authorities have decided prohibit that the majority of bathers use umbrellas on the sandy beach. No umbrellas? More or less. Which have decided in Villasimìus is that the majority of the population cannot bring their own umbrellas to Punta Molentis. This privilege is restricted to only two groups: families with children under 10 years old and adults over 65. The large group between 10 and 65 years old that remains in the middle will have to make do with protecting themselves from the sun of the Sardinian coast with caps and a good sunscreen. Not only that. In a statement Posted on its official website, the commune of Villasimìus details other measures that bathers must take into account: the number of vehicles and people that can be simultaneously in the area is limited, as is the influx of bathers arriving by boat. The rules also include time guidelines and a warning: those who go to the beach should know that there is an “environmental ticket” of 10 euros for those who travel by car. If you go by boat the fee remains at 5 euros. But… Why? The authorities insist on the need to protect the natural environment and remember the serious forest fire that the region experienced last summer, when dozens of tourists had to flee in boats. The flames spread so quickly that they burned cars stationed in the area, they blocked land escape routes and caused serious environmental damage, environmentalists warn. “The Punta Molentis ecosystem is one of the most valuable in our territory, but also one of the most fragile. The forest fires of 2025 and exceptional weather phenomena have reduced the capacity of the dunes and put habitats and biodiversity to the test,” warns the commune. “It is necessary to limit the human impact and ensure the protection of heritage for future generations.” Part of the rules disclosed by the Villasimìus authorities. What do people think? The Government argues that it wants to protect the environment and preserve the natural wealth of the beach. Neither one nor the other seems to have convinced bathers, who were quick to use irony to question the ban on umbrellas. “How wonderful, a beautiful day at the beach and 20 hours in the emergency room for burns. I think they’ve tried this ordinance before and it went wrong,” comments sarcastically a user on networks. At stake would not only be the environmental wealth of the coast. A spokesperson for the Villasimìus town council assured this week to CNN that behind the veto of the parasols there are also security reasons: they want to reduce their number to prevent situations like those of 2025 from being repeated. “It is fundamentally because of that fire and the difficulties we had in evacuating the beach due to the large number of umbrellas installed that the city council has established this rule,” recognize from the Italian commune, who remember that in that area there are no paid ‘beach clubs’, so “people place umbrellas next to each other, blocking access, causing risks and obstructing the view of the sea.” The Telegraph precise that in the bathing area you can rent parasols. Does it only happen in Sardinia? Villasimìus’s decision has attracted attention because it is unorthodox, but the truth is that the use of umbrellas (and other beach equipment) on the sandy beaches has not only generated controversy there. In Italy the ‘beach clubs’ have generated debate after, according to Altronconsumo calculationsthe rental of sun loungers and umbrellas has skyrocketed by 24% in just five years. Beyond Italy, in Greece they have just expand your list of “virgin” sandbanks where the rental of umbrellas is prohibited. Here, in Spain, the use of furniture on the beaches (and that includes everything from parasols to tents and windbreaks) also has generated debate the last years. Images | Heather Cowper (Flickr) and Villasimius SRL In Xataka | It is increasingly common to find jellyfish on Mediterranean beaches before summer. And it’s a bad sign

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